Stronger than Friction
by Vitreux
Summary: AoshiKaoru- Intense stares. Body heat. Mingled hot breaths. Kaoru offered Aoshi a place to stay while Kenshin is away. But the thought blurred when situations started to get sticky, involving more than skin-touching.
1. Departure

**Stronger than Friction**

By Vitreux

**Standard Disclaimers Apply.**

Warning: It's an alternate pairing fic- AoshixKaoru! Don't read this if you can't accept! I wanted to try something different!

**Chapter One**

Departure

   The wind blew through her black locks as the words rang out clearly and firmly. She didn't know why her legs felt so weak all of a sudden, or why her hands had difficulty grabbing the tray. Her fingertips felt cold from the breeze; pressing harder to the rigid surface she thought it was only her imagination.

   The scene before her became a blur of colors. It was when the sound of shattering glass surprised them enough to turn around, only to find a shaking Kaoru with pieces of broken teacups beneath where she stood.

   "Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin stood straight up; the look in her eyes shook him deep to the core while he froze.

   "Go… gomen nasai!" she suddenly apologized, ignoring the tears that were obviously flowing in her eyes. Bending down she began to gather the broken pieces in haste.

   "Are you all right?" the officer that was sitting across from Kenshin asked, staring at the young girl. "Do you need any help?"

   "I-iie! I can clean this myself." When she was finished she gave the officer an apologizing look and left, unaware of the deep looks Kenshin had for her… he was watching her the whole time.

***

   Could times be anymore different? When they came, they always took Kenshin off somewhere far, to a place she couldn't be at. Kaoru often questioned herself, wouldn't there be a stop? Would she woke up one day, finally finding the officers and the damn troubles gone, so they could leave him alone and she could finally spend her life with the one person she loves?

   It sounded so easy at first. But as time went on… the pieces of her dreams began to fall apart. The Tokyo police needed him. The government needed him. Everyone needed him. Haven't anyone noticed, the one that needed him the most and wanted him the most was _her? Kaoru, of all people was a beautiful young woman by the age of seventeen… everyone thought she was strong, too strong she recognized. They didn't know the biggest support of her being belonged to a flame-haired rurouni. Everyone thought it was natural for Kenshin the ex-hitokiri to save the world, to prevent Japan from going downfall._

   Every time he would leave, and she would stare at his outlines, trying to believe he would be back soon. It was _always like this._

   "Kaoru-dono?"

   Roughly, she wiped her tears away and turned, plastered on her face was a small smile. "Are you hungry, Kenshin?"

   "Kaoru-dono…"

   "I'll make you some sweet cakes, perhaps you want more tea?" she turned again, so her backside was facing him. Picking up a small tray, she stopped when she felt his hand on her shoulders.

   "Kaoru, _stop_. I'm not hungry." His soft words made her tremble inwardly.

   They stood still for a moment, with her slowly placing the tray down.

   "The police… he left?"

   Blinking, Kenshin retrieved his hand and answered. "Ah."

   "You're leaving again, aren't you?"

   There was a long pause. "I'm sorry."

   Taking a deep breath in, she calmed her speedy heartbeats. "When?"

   "…Later this evening." He heard a light gasp, and he picked his head up, trying to turn her around to face him. When he did, he wished that he hadn't told her the news so soon.

   She was sniffing, no she was _crying. Her whole body trembled, her usual clear azure eyes were now clouded with mist, dark strands of loose hair fell around her perfectly shaped face, covering her features he wished he could see. And worst of all, she refused to meet his eyes._

   "Kaoru-dono… oh Kaoru," he wrapped his arms around her trembling form and rested his chin atop of her hair. "I'm so sorry. I promise I'll be back. I promise. Please stop crying."

   "Kenshin… no… baka!" she said between her cries. "Just go and make the world peace! People need you," she said against his chest.

   "This will be last time." He whispered. "Did you hear me Kaoru-dono? This will be the last time."

   "It… better… be!"

***

   "Yahiko, listen to Kaoru-dono when I'm not here, please? It will only be the two of you here while Sanosuke is off dealing with some of his old gangster problems."

   "Hai, hai!" Yahiko closed an eye and placed both of his arms behind his head.

   "Be careful with the bath water. You need to check every five minutes."

   "I will."

   "And… please be cautious." He looked at Kaoru. "If you have any problem, write to Katou-san, he will deliver it to me."

   "Goodbye Kenshin."

   "Goodbye Kaoru-dono. Yahiko. I will be back soon!" with that, he hopped onto the horse and trotted with the policeman alongside. His red hair is the horizon on fire, burning into Kaoru's mind.

   "He sounded like a mother!" Yahiko snorted and laughed, only to receive a punch from Kaoru. "Oww! That hurt busu!"

   "Yes, well here." She thrust a broom into his hands. "You are to clean the floors of the dojo several times. It's got so much dust in there."

   "Where are you going?" the boy asked, holding the broom.

   "To the market. We're out of stuff to eat."

***

   _What's for dinner? Fish?_ Kaoru thought to herself as she passed a small stand of fishes._ Maybe not… last time I tried to cook a fish, I almost burned the whole dojo down._ She sighed._ Just what's wrong with cooking?!_

   After what seemed like hours to buy the ingredients for dinner, Kaoru paused in the middle of the bridge. She stared into her reflection in the river.

   _Am I… strong?_

   "Of course I am." She said quietly to herself. "I am strong, I will be strong… I'll have to be strong."

   A droplet of tear. Two.

   She quickly shook her head. _No time being a cry baby! You have work to do! She straightened her back and breathed in fully, satisfied with her decision. She was about to turn when something hard hit her._

   "Oh Christ-"

   "Move it girl! I ain't got all evening!" a gruff man towered above, creating shadows on her face.

   "Excuse me! _You're the one who pushed me!" she shot him a fierce look._

   "Well, well, don't we have a pretty girl here." The man tsked. "What's your name?"

   Kaoru got up wearily and backed away. "What my name is have no business to do with you."

   "Fierce one, are we?" the man stepped toward Kaoru and held up his hands, as she tried looking for a weapon of some sort. She found none. _Well, since it came down to this- you asked for it!_

   PUNCH!

   Before she knew what was happening, the man who was trying to grab her fell down with a loud thud. She blinked. Another tall shadow stood in front, his back protecting her from the sunlight. She raised her eyebrow delicately.

   "Ano…" she started.

   He turned around. Her wide blue eyes met his cold turquoise ones.

   "Aoshi…"

***

   "So, you're just here in Tokyo because of some ninja business?" Yahiko picked up a sweet cake and popped it into his mouth.

   "Yahiko," Kaoru hissed. "Be respectful. Ah sou ka!" Aoshi looked at her as she clapped her hands in delight. "If you don't mind, you can stay here for a day or two." Kaoru offered, then she smiled. "You've helped us a lot back there in Kyoto. I can do this for the least. Isn't that right Yahiko?"

   "Ah," he continued eating. "Sure you can! It's kind of bored here without Kenshin and that rooster baka."

   The smile faded from Kaoru's eyes. Yahiko noticed this somehow as she turned quiet. He got up and announced, "It's kinda late, and I'll go to sleep for now. And busu?"

   Kaoru looked at him.

   "He'll be back." He gave her a thumb up and disappeared into the dark hallway.

   "Battousai… he's…?" Aoshi asked when the two of them sat alone in the room, with only a candle for light. The shadows danced on the white wall.

   "He's off with the Tokyo police. You know these things… and Sanosuke, he has some past gangster problems to deal with."

   "So there are only you and that boy in this dojo for now?"

   "Hai." Then she looked like she remembered something. "Ano… I want to thank you earlier today at the market."

   Amusement was shone on his face. "You should be more careful."

   She pouted and giggled, but later she spoke something that Aoshi had expected.

   "I miss him, you know. He's always off, saving the world with his own hands. That was his dream." Listening silently he stared at the young woman before. "I wonder what he thinks, having this crazy thought and all?"

   Another moment of silence passed, Aoshi got up from his position, looking like he was about to leave the room. He thought she needed some time alone.

   Suddenly, he felt a hand grab his ankle. Looking back slowly, he found Kaoru still on the floor, holding onto him with a shaky grip.

   "Please… I-I don't want to be alone… not right now…"

   He hesitated for a mere second before giving in. Sighing for a bit, he dropped his knees to face her.

   "Arigatou…" she managed to whisper.


	2. Warming Up

**Stronger than Friction**

By Vitreux

**Standard Disclaimers Apply. Author's notes at the end.**

**Chapter Two**

Warming Up

   "Kenshin NO!" Kaoru jolted up from her futon as beads of sweat formed on her forehead, with the blood drummed in her ears greatly she felt as if her heart was going to explode. The only sounds in the room were her uneven panting from the dream she had woken up from. She touched her flushed cheek and tried to calm down.

   _It was only a dream._ She told herself and glanced over to the window. Morning came. She ignored the horrible feelings that still lingered and went to the place where her kimonos were.

   After she checked that everything was in place, Kaoru left out a sigh. Kenshin only left yesterday and already she was having unrealistic dreams about losing him.

   _Pull yourselves together, Kamiya! He will come back._ Her inner-self reassured. With a satisfied nod, she slid the paper door open and walked to the porch.

   "Yahiko, where's Aoshi?" she asked when she saw him practicing kendo.

   "I don't know. Probably in his room or something." He swung his bokken.

   "Has he eaten breakfast yet?"

   "I think so."

   "All right. Have you?"

   "Since you wake up so _late_ in the morning, yes, I had the first meal of the day already. Or else I would probably be dead because of hunger for all these years." He stopped joking when a slipper went flying his direction.

   "That'll teach you how to shut up." Kaoru slapped her hands in return. She went back to the kitchen and prepared a meal for herself.

   An hour later, Kaoru found herself in the dojo swinging her bokken. Practicing kendo was always a good way to let the frustrations free, or she could just tire herself out so she wouldn't think of the dream again.

   SWING!

   Her thoughts drifted to Aoshi. The quiet, calm, silent ninja. There was this sort of mystery around him; she couldn't find the words to describe it. She remembered when Aoshi first made an appearance in her crowded mind. Under the moonlight, against a tree with folded arms. It was the first time she had looked so clearly upon him. And his eyes… it felt like they could see through anything, cut through anything.

   SWING!

   That night his shadows kept reflecting over her conscious, and the impression of him was no longer just a haze, but rather a deep figure that surfaced every once in a while.

   SWING!

   Of course, she had heard her friend- Misao's blabbering about how precious he was, how gorgeous in every way possible. She thought it was ridiculous at first, depending on how he always seemed so distant. Not only from Misao or the Aoiya, but also from everyone. It was like he never shared his thoughts with another soul.

   SWING!

   Or was it she that didn't understand him enough?

   SWING!

   Why would she want to, anyway? He was after all, only a visitor here at the dojo. She was very thankful for the helps he had for Kenshin in the past, so she wanted to help him back. That was reasonable, wasn't it?

   SWING!

   But somehow she got this deep feeling at the bottom of her stomach, and it told her that she wanted to know more about him. Much more.

   SWING!

   "Your swings are beginning to drop."

   A gasp. Kaoru turned around to meet a figure leaning against the gate of the dojo.

   "Aoshi?"

   "Like I said, your swings are beginning to drop, and your face looked like you're concentrating on other things." Aoshi stepped in and their eyes locked.

   "You scared me."

   "I didn't intend to. Am I interrupting your practice?"

   "Not really, I was just… thinking. That's all."

   "About what?" he questioned.

   "About… how I could improve better on my skills." She lied. _Smooth Kaoru, very smooth._

   His eyes glided to the bokken she held, then back on her again. Once more, Kaoru's head drew in a blank about what he was thinking. She couldn't read him.

   "Do you have another bokken?"

   "Eh? I'm sorry, I mean what?"

   "Lend me one of your bokken."

   She stared at him strangely; completely unaware of what he was going to do. "Alright." She fetched one and tossed it to him.

   Aoshi lifted his right hand and caught the piece of weapon in reflect. Holding it down with both of his hands, he said in an emotionless tone.

   "Attack me."

   Kaoru stood there. "What?"

   "Stop wasting time. You said you want to improve, didn't you? Now attack me."

   She held her own bokken in a tight grip, her eyes piercing into his empty ones. A corner of her lip curved upwards, her face suddenly serious. "This isn't the best method, you know. I'm quite strong."

   He studied her for some time, and slowly, he smirked back too.

   "Show me, to prove your point."

   Without another word Kaoru raised her bokken and charged at him. The flat base of the long instrument came down quickly toward Aoshi's head but he blocked it naturally. Supporting her weight on both of the bokken, she jumped over him and landed behind, sweeping his legs with it as she stooped down. But he had seen it by grabbing her arm and moving his whole body out of the way.

   Kaoru gritted her teeth, and attempted another blow. She aimed the bokken to his midsection but he too, had blocked it. Her eyes furrowed when his leg twisted hers and brought her down to the floor. Her hands on instinct grabbed his collar to prevent from falling, as she whirled into another proper position and panted.

   "You're stronger than I thought." She commented heavily.

   "Persistent, are you?" his jade eyes bore into hers.

   "Trust me, it's necessary."

   And before she knew it, Kaoru was sprawled flat on her back. He had found his way on top of her in a lightening speed, somehow. She didn't even notice it until her back made contact with the hard surface. Pinning her wrists above her head, he brought down his face to meet her eyes.

   Growling in anger and refusal of defeat, Kaoru's body thrashed under his, lacking the space to move. One of his knees had separated her thighs and his other leg was entangled tightly to one of hers; Aoshi's muscled weight was another problem that rooted her to the wooden floor.

   "It's not necessary now." He whispered softly.

   His eyes alleviated as he looked into hers. And for the first time he noticed how beautiful and understandable her eyes were, especially when they were brilliant with determination. What was more alarming to Aoshi's senses was Kaoru's struggling, which created a slow, almost aching, grinding movement against his own hips.

   "I underestimated you." She retorted. "I shouldn't have gone unprepared."

   He was so much stronger than she thought, almost as strong as Kenshin. Kaoru hadn't realized how close he actually was until the little weight of his chest brushed against her breasts. His body was warm, just as hot as his breaths.

   Then suddenly all contact was gone. Aoshi had removed himself atop of her; the cool air brushed her skin once more as she sat up, baffled by her messed up mind.

   "You're not that bad, either." With his last words, he left the dojo.

   Things were complicated, she thought quietly.

* * *

   "Hey busu."

   Kaoru turned to Yahiko. "Nani?"

   "I saw the match between you and Aoshi… when I was cleaning." Her heart skipped a beat as the boy went on. "You lost to him."

   She coughed. "Well that only happens _once_. Were you peeking?" she raised her eyebrow.

   "No! I would never do that!" he exclaimed and waved his hand. Kaoru watched him while deep down she hoped he hadn't seen how close they were, in a position like _that_. It was so… odd.

   Yahiko gave her a suspicious look. "You didn't get hurt, did you? Because if you did- I'll personally make sure that Aoshi-"

   "Hey, hey, stop!" she laughed. "No, I didn't get hurt. I'm perfectly fine. Besides, I'm not that weak." She slapped his back and her next words made Yahiko blushed madly to the roots. "And don't tell me that you're worried about me? Hmm?"

   "What! No way!" he snatched her hand away and turned his head the other direction.

   "Heheh, Yahiko-CHAN is blushing!" Kaoru emphasized and quickly trotted away when Yahiko held up a fist with tremble.

   "Easy, easy. Demo ne, arigatou for caring for me. I really am glad."

   The boy spat, "Don't flatter yourself. I was just asking because of you are hurt, then I can have the excuse of going to the Akabeko for a decent meal."

   "Yeah. Whatever." She giggled and went back to her room.

   Sliding the paper door closed, she let the darkness took over her. There was no sound, the moonlight was dim. The only thing working here was her mind. About some thoughts. Thoughts about her match with Aoshi.

   They were definitely too close today. Strange feelings began to arise but she shook it off with a shrug. But he was strong though, and fast. Almost like… Kenshin.

   _Kenshin__._

   Her face turned bitter when she started missing the ex-hitokiri again.

**Sooo****… how was it? I think I'm getting more into this thing, Aoshi+Kaoru I mean! ^__^ I truly thank the reviewers for the first chapter, you are all so nice ^__^! More reviews= more inspirations= faster updates! Don't you know that reviews actually encourage me to LIKE this story and wanted to make it better? Yeah! So just click that button below!! And POOF your thoughts will be read over by me. Plus more updates *wink***

**   And… umm, I know some people think my English isn't so good. Because my first language isn't English -__-'. Can someone like… beta it for me?? I would be really really really happy and thankful!! That saves me a lot of troubles!! *begs***

**REVIEW!!!!!!!**


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